MCS wraps up another year at All-Energy & Dcarbonise!
20 May 2024
A second time exhibiting at All-Energy & Decarbonise, the MCS team visited Glasgow, from 15-16 May for Scotland’s largest low-carbon energy event at the Scottish Event’s Campus (SEC).
Showcasing home-grown energy, we chaired three panels across the two days discussing Scottish grants and funding, sector skills, and Scotland’s renewable landscape. Our team was also on stand discussing the benefits of becoming MCS certified for small-scale renewables, the importance of decarbonising our homes and everything else MCS!
We spoke to over 300 event attendees proving a busy event this year. It was great to see the drive Scotland has in reaching net zero.
Trade events like All-Energy & Dcarbonise are a great opportunity to bring together people from across the low-carbon industry and share ideas and insights with the sector. Here are some of our highlights from the show.
Day 1
Our first day at All-Energy & Dcarbonise 2023 got off to a busy start! The day began with Ian, our CEO, chairing a panel on the grants and funding available to Scottish homeowners in the Built Environment Theatre. Joining Ian was Frances Murphy, Head of Heat at Heat & Energy Efficiency Scotland, Sophia Bates, Programme Manager at Energy Saving Trust and Simon Kemp, managing director at Warmworks.
The panel had some insightful discussions surrounding the help available to homeowners and businesses across Scotland but also looked at what more was needed for the industry. Ian started by sharing MCS statistics confirming Scotland had the highest uptake of heat pumps in 2023, he also added “It’s great to see the commitment to net zero from the Scottish Government and shows long-term policy is key”. Simon Kemp, Managing Director at Warmworks, explained they are reaching around 5,000 homes as part of the Warmer Homes Scotland grant. Looking ahead, Simon discussed the complexity of how we decarbonise Scottish cities like Glasgow filled with tenement flats, he advised that Warmworks are looking into solutions to tackle this common problem across Scotland.
Francis Murphy, working for the Scottish government, added “There is a strong demand for renewables, and we have seen the largest number of applications, and the biggest budget spent this grant year”. This shows a real drive for uptake across Scotland with many homeowners taking advantage of the help available.
In the afternoon, Alex Hughes, Scheme Manager at MCS, chaired a panel on ‘Scotland’s renewable landscape’. Heavily driven by MCS data, this allowed us to showcase Scotland’s uptake across all renewable technologies, identifying trends and what might be triggering those. She was joined by Josh King, Managing Director at Gensource, Pilaz Rodriguez, Green Heat Installer Engagement Programme Manager at Energy Saving Trust, and Thomas McMillan, Energy Director from Savills Earth. Alex started by explaining that 31% of Scotland’s carbon emissions come from its homes and buildings, showing the carbon-saving opportunities from the decarbonisation of homes. Josh King from Gensource spoke about the solar PV boom in 2020,”as we entered an energy crisis households have turned to this technology as a way to lower their energy bills.”
When looking at data across all technologies, the panel turned to heat pumps. Pilaz Rodriguez shared the help available in the form of a £7,500 grant for an air or ground/water source heat pump (£9,000 if you qualify for the rural uplift) and a £7,500 interest-free loan on top, therefore, making heat pumps more attractive.
Alex finished by revealing Scotland’s hot spots for MCS certified installations. For solar PV, this is currently Stirling, Aberdeenshire and East Lothian, and the Western Isles, Orkney Islands and Argyll & Bute for heat pumps.
Day 2
On our second day, our Sector Skills Manager, Martyn Raine, chaired a panel on skills in Scotland surrounding renewables and what we needed to see from the industry to bridge the skills gap. Joining this panel was Elaine Ellis, Skills Planning Manager at Skills Development Scotland, Davey Macneill, Sales Director at Energy Pig and John Renwick, Sector Manager at Warmworks.
The panel started to discuss the need for current plumbers and electricians to upskill, John Renwick. Warmworks, explained, “There is so much opportunity in the renewable industry. Scotland is recognising heat pumps, plumbers and heating engineers will need to upskill to meet demand”.
Elaine Ellis, Skills Development Scotland, added “We need to get better at bringing adults into this sector, not just looking at young apprentices”
Skills within the renewable sector have been a big focus for MCS, this panel allowed us to discuss the state of the nation in Scotland and look at the wider UK to collectively drive the uptake of installers we need to decarbonise homes and reach net zero targets.
All-Energy & Decarbonise is centred on industry collaboration, sharing ideas and innovative technologies. It’s a unique chance to discuss the issues facing the low-carbon sector primarily across Scotland and how we can overcome them together.
For more highlights from the show, check out the All-Energy & Dcarbonise website. Don’t forget to follow us on social media to keep up to date with our events.